Memorable news satellite images from 2018

From Russian war games to lava flows on Hawaii and raging fires in California, images captured by satellite provide a unique perspective

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Back To Danang

In a message to China, the American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson docked at Danang bay in Vietnam on March 5.

In the first visit to a Vietnamese port by a US Navy aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War, the Vinson and its crew of more than 6,000 sent a signal from the two countries to China, which has stepped up its challenges to U.S. supremacy in the region.

From space, the message was clear in the dozens of fighter jets on deck.

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March For Our Lives

When survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, called for action, hundreds of thousands marched in cities across America on March 24.

The "March for Our Lives" rallies demonstrated a new level of activism for the majority of Americans who want stricter gun control laws.

The satellites showed the scale of the activism in the biggest of the demonstrations at the nation's capital.

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Lava And Ash

The eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii on May 3 wrecked more than 700 homes while captivating the world with its destructive force.

Using infrared technology, a satellite captured the range of heat from a river of lava in vivid colors on May 13.

At a safe distance from the eruption, life — even golf — went on in Hawaii.

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Kerala Under Water

Storms in August battered the southern Indian state of Kerala.

The flooding killed hundreds and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

A satellite image on Aug 22 revealed how the landscape had been turned into a temporary lake.

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Russian Show Of Might

In September, Russia put on its biggest show of force since the height of the Cold War.

Russian officials said the military exercises in Siberia and the Far East, involved 300,000 Russian troops, 1,000 aircraft and 36,000 tanks.

But for Western analysts the biggest message was the participation of Chinese troops in joint military exercises.

DigitalGlobe satellites captured some of the drama as parachutes dropped military equipment on Sept. 15.

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NORTH CAROLINA DROWNING

In mid-September, Hurricane Florence dumped over 0.76 metres of rain in parts of eastern North Carolina.

More than a dozen people were killed in the storm and floods.

The view from space reveals the inundation.

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A City Swath, Liquified

A massive earthquake wiped out whole neighborhoods of the Indonesian city of Palau on Sept 28 when 430 hectares of land were liquefied into deadly mudslides.

It was clear from above how vast the destruction was and from the ground how complete.

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Paradise In Flames

The deadliest US wildfire in a century sparked off in Northern California in November killing dozens and causing billions of dollars of damage.

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Paradise In Flames

The satellites showed the raging, relentless fire.

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Cyclone Owen

Cyclone Owen hit the Australian coast in northern Queensland in early December.

It was downgraded to a tropical low when it hit - but the cyclone reformed and came back for another hit a few days later, as a category four.